Hydrogen squeezed from stone could be new energy source
Scientists from the University of Lyon have discovered a new way to split hydrogen gas from water, using rocks.
The method promises a new green energy source, providing copious hydrogen from a simple mixture of rock and water.
It speeds up a chemical reaction that takes geological timescales in nature.
In the reaction, the mineral olivine strips one oxygen and hydrogen atom from an H2O molecule to form a mineral called serpentine, releasing the spare hydrogen atom.
The mineralogists at Lyon were expecting the reaction to take weeks, if not months, so having set the experiment running one afternoon they were shocked to discover that half of the olivine crystal had already reacted when they took a look at it the next morning.
They realised that the addition of aluminium, dissolved from the ruby crystal, was key, speeding up the rate at which the olivine crystals dissolve in water and new serpentine minerals grow. Any source of aluminium could be used, and at the lower temperature experiments the researchers also used bauxite.